Key fastener



Patent-sea 24, 1923.

CLYDE B. LovELAnn or nnrr nno; Nnw'YonKQ KEY rns'rnnnn.

Application filed March 5, 1923. Serial no; 622,761.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern: v I

Be it known that I, CLYDE B; LOVELAND, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in. Key Fasteners, of which the -following is a specification;

This invention relates to a fasteneror retainer whereby the key of a look is prevented from being turned from the outside of a room or building and thus preventing unhold the key against turning when in use, I and which is so constructed that the parts thereof are maintainedin'an assembled position and still permitsof conveniently and easily applying the key retainer 'or fastener 'to and removing the same from the shank of turned from the outside of the door.

the door knob.

In the accompanying drawings: Figurel is a fragmentary perspective View of a door showing its lock and provided withlmy invention for preventing the key from being Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same taken transversely through the shank of the door knob.

Similar characters of reference refer to like parts in both views.

In the drawings my invention is shown in connection with a lock 10 which is mounted on the door 11 provided with a locking bolt 12 and a latch 13. The latch is adapted to be turned by the door knob 14 arranged on'the inner side of the door and operatively connected with the latch shifting mechanism of the look by a shank 15 and the looking bolt is adapted to be projected into and retracted out of itsoperative position by a key thestem 1.6 of which is passed through the key hole 17 ofthe lock on the inner side of the door and hasits eye or handle 18 arranged below the shank of the door knob.

My improved key fastener or retainer comprises a carrier which is supported on the shank of the door knob, and a keeper which is movable on the carrier into and out of engagement with "the eye of the key. In

.the preferred construction the carrier is formed ofa piece of spring wire which is bent into the shape of an inverted letter L!" the bow or cross piece 19 of which is adapted at the front edge of the head.

to engage he pper side of thedoor knob shank while the le 20 21 of this Carrier,

extend downwardly from thebow on oppo site sides "of the shank so that the carrier is suspended or hangsfrom the shank and has l s me don we sides. of the key. a

stem.

single piece of sheet metal so as to form an downwardly tapering tongue 23 arranged At its opposite ends the head is provided with openings 24, 24 which receive the legs of thecarrier. By sliding the. keeper upwardly on the carrier itstongue disengaged from the eye i of the key whereby the latter may be turned from the inside of the room for lockingor unlocking the door; If it is desired to hold the key against, turning after the door is locked, the. keeper is lowered on the carrier The keeper is preferably constructed of a I 05 upper horizontal head or flange 522 and'a and its tongue is'passed' downwardly into the eye of the key, as shown in Fig; 1, whereby the latter is prevented from turning and thus prevents operation of, the look by tampering with that part of the key within the look from the outer side of the door and thus frustrating unlawful entrance into the room.

The legs of the carrierare preferably. under lateral tension by spreading the same apart a sufficient extent before slipping'the keeper thereon so that the tension of theselegs will hold the keeper frictionally eitherin it's elevated inoperative or its depressed operative position, as desired.

For the purpose of permitting the carrier to be attached to and removed from the shank of the door knob and still maintain a connection between the carrier and keeper so that the entire fastener is always available whenrequired, one of the legs of the carrier is provided at itslower end with a stop 25 which prevents the head-of the keeper from sliding downwardly off the same but the lower end of the other leg is, unprovided with a stop and instead is of uniform diameter throughoutits length. ble by this construction to lower one end of the head of the keeper until it strikes the stop thereon and then the other end of the head can be readily disengaged from the lewer end of the other leg, to. permit the It is thus possii carrier to be passed over the shank of the i door knob and then confined therein by reengaging the head of the keeper with the ing the key in the lock, as is frequently attempted, the same isalso very simple and inexpensive in construction,and separation of-its parts is prevented so that one or the other is not likely to be lost or misplaced. T

I claim asmy invention: a 1. A keyi'astener comprising a carrier constructed of spring wire in the form of an invertedtl and adapted to'engage its bow with the top of the shank of a door knob wvhile the legs of the same hang on opposite sides of said shank, the lower end of one of said legs being provided with a stop while the lower end of the other leg is unprovided with a stop, and a keeper slid.

vable vertically on said carrier and having an upper horizontal head which isprovided with openings recelving said legs and a tongue'projecting downwardly from one edge of said head and adapted to engage with the eye of a key for preventing the latter froln turning, one end of said head being adapted to engage said stop and prevented from. being moved downwardly oii the same and the other end of the head being free to be slipped off and on the lower end of the other leg for the purpose of enabling the carrier to be applied to and removed from said shank.

2. A key fastener comprising a carrier constructed of spring wire in the form of an inverted U and adapted to engage its bow with the top of the shank of a door knob while the'legs of the same hang on opposite sides of said shank, the lower end of one of said legs being provided with a stop while the lower end of the other leg is unprovided with a stop, and a keeper slidable vertically on said carrier and having an upper horizontal head which is provided with openings receiving said legs and a tongue projecting downwardly from one edge of said head and adapted to engage with the eye of a key for preventing the latter from turning, one end of said head being adapted to engage said stop and prevented from being moved downwardly off the same and the other end of the head being free to he slipped off and on the lower end of the other leg for the purpose of enabling the carrier to be applied to andremoved from said shank, and saidstop being formed on the respective leg by spreading the material of which the same is made.

CLYDE B. LOVELAND. 

